Ananais
by JessReyes
Summary: Krycek is in trouble, and the only people he can turn to are those who hate him the most. But he has a bargaining chip, one that he hopes will buy him their help. He thinks he has the upper hand, but it soon becomes clear that he was never in control, and those pursuing him are more powerful than he could ever have anticipated. And Mulder, Scully and Skinner are in their way.
1. Chapter 1

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, for many different reasons that I won't bore everyone with, but I feel like getting back to it, and so I've dug this story out. I wrote it years ago and it's been revised many times since then because there have been various aspects I haven't been happy with, but I'm hoping that this revision will be a final one. The new episodes of the X Files have been a huge push in getting me back to these stories, and I hope that they've stirred up the same nostalgia for the good old days in you guys that they did with me. I've always been fond of Krycek as a character and was so disappointed when they...you know... But he's doing ok in my world, so that's the main thing! :-P Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and if this does ok, I have a few more up my sleeve ;-)

 **Ananais**

'...And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mighest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptised.' - Acts 9: 17-18

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **ABANDONED RAIL WAREHOUSE**

 **NORTH OF MARTINSBURG,**

 **VIRGINIA**

Krycek shook another cigarette from the half-empty packet and placed it between his chapped lips with a trembling hand. But he couldn't light it. Not yet.

He never used to smoke. He had never felt the need for any kind of drug. It was a sign of weakness. Frailty. Vulnerability. Everything he despised. But a lot had changed. _He_ had changed. The simple routine of the action, the taste of the tobacco in his mouth was enough to help him to focus as he waited in the dark silence for them to tire of searching for him.

 _Dark._

 _Silence._

Those words still whispered around him like ghosts, ever present reminders of those long weeks he had spent sealed inside the missile silo. Deserted. Abandoned to die like a prisoner in an oubliette. Knowing that no-one would ever come for him. No-one would ever miss him. After all he had done for the Syndicate, he was rewarded with the promise of a slow, cruel, painful death, locked inside a freezing stone coffin.

And now they wondered at his desertion of them. Feared the secrets he held. He was meant to be dead. It was a miracle he wasn't. If the salvage team had never happened upon him…

He closed his eyes and exhaled a shaky breath.

The memory of the dark silence had so scarred his soul that even now he found it hard to sleep. He feared the nightmares most of all. Buried alive. Piercing cold. Suffocating. Darkness. Alone. No-one coming. Abandoned. Dying…

 _Dying…_

He opened his eyes. Shook off the feelings. They would cripple him if he let them.

And one day those bastards would pay for what they had done.

Just not today.

He listened to the stillness. Nothing moved outside except the Potomac River, winding its way slowly towards Chesapeake Bay. He relaxed a little as he leaned back against the cold, damp wall and slumped down onto the concrete floor. His back and neck ached. He was hungry, thirsty, tired, cold and dirty. But these were minor inconveniences compared to what awaited him if he dared to venture outside.

He had evaded them this long. He wasn't going to give in now. He had been trained well. Taught to survive. That had been their biggest mistake.

He allowed himself the luxury of a smile. The Syndicate thought they'd known him. Thought he was predictable. Another mistake.

He remembered the charred, pugilistic remains of them and their dreams. Who, in the end had won? Who was still standing like a phoenix amongst the ashes of their attempts at appeasement?

He still had the device, despite their attempts to retrieve it. He still held Skinner in the palm of his hand. He could still be manipulated. And through him, Mulder and Scully. Oh, how those hunting him would love that. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, did they not realize that?

Fools. All of them. Playing their little games. The only game that mattered was survival. No matter what the cost.

He edged towards the door.

Still dark. A moonless, mercury sky. Sodium vapor lamps marked the outskirts of the railyard, their anemic light glinting on the windows of defunct boxcars and old tracks. Deep shadows hung between the cars. Silence was a presence; thick, ominous; crawling along his spine, making him shiver.

A quick movement caught his eye. A rat disappearing through a narrow crack in the warehouse wall.

He closed his eyes. His breath escaping in staccato bursts.

They had gone.

For now.

He didn't have much time.

He checked his guns were still strapped in their holsters on his shoulder and waist, patted his inside jacket pocket; the device was still there.

He slipped away from the warehouse and melted into the velvet, welcoming shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

 **FBI HEADQUARTERS**

 **FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1999**

 **17.30pm**

'Mulder, can't that wait until Monday?'

'It's still downloading,' he replied, as if the suggestion of anything else was ridiculous. 'This is important.'

'More important than the fact I've been in meetings all goddamned day and I would really like to go home now?'

'It's the lab results on a core sample from Icy Cape in Alaska. The science team there has expressed concern at some of the anomalous readings they've received. Possibly an organic contaminant, but they can't be sure because the suspending fluid around it is apparently frozen ammonia.'

'Really?' said Scully, her professional curiosity piqued in spite of herself.

'They're just looking at preliminary test results, but they're hoping to analyze the tissue itself next week. If what I'm seeing here is accurate, the tissue sample is part of a much larger organism. Larger than a worm anyway. We may be looking at the parent source. Frohike and the guys went to a lot of trouble to hack this one out for me.' He looked up at her, his eyes green in the wan light from the terminal screen. 'How do you fancy a trip to Alaska this weekend?'

She raised an eyebrow. 'As interesting as it sounds, Mulder, and as much as I'd love to spend my first free weekend in a month worm hunting in sub-zero temperatures, I think I'll pass.'

'What's the rush anyway? Got a hot date to get off to?'

His eyes remained steadfastly on the screen, but a playful grin had touched the corners of his mouth.

'I did have, actually,' she whispered, leaning toward him. He accepted her invitation, moving forward across the desk, but just as his lips were about to brush hers, she pulled back. 'But I'm thinking of breaking it off. He's just too much of a workaholic. And you know what? It just doesn't make a woman feel particularly good about herself when her lover would rather spend his Friday night with a computer in a basement office than with her. So I guess I'll just go home, have a long soak in the bath, and have an early night. _Alone_.'

The computer issued a timely beep to say its download was complete. Mulder flicked off the terminal and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

'Don't you think that's a little drastic?'

'What? Taking a bath? I don't think - '

'Ha ha. You know what I meant. I hear this guy of yours is quite the looker.'

'I'm sure he'd like to think so,' she smiled as he pushed a kiss into her hair. 'And don't think that's going to get you off either. I haven't seen you for two weeks, Fox. You promised me you'd finish on time.'

'I know. I'm sorry. But you're the one who volunteered to take over Doctor Klein's classes.'

'He had no one else to ask and I was the only qualified doctor with field experience available. Besides, he's an old friend. And I called you every night. Your answering machine and I got on so well it's taking me out for dinner next weekend.'

He had no defense to offer so he didn't even try. He hadn't been at home while she'd been away because he had either been following up old cases, investigating new reports of UFO sightings, or just sitting in his car up in the dark, peaceful foothills of the Appalachians, staring at the sky, hoping to see…

Hoping to see what?

He didn't really know anymore. But sitting there alone under the vast canopy of the night sky calmed him, helped him focus when he felt everything moving too quickly. It seemed to be happening with increasing frequency lately. Whether that was a good thing or not, he didn't want to consider.

'I'm sorry, Dana. I don't know what else to say. I've been busy too, you know, and I - '

'Yeah,' she sighed. 'Well… I don't much feel like doing anything special tonight anyway. I'd like to come over though. If you still want me to.'

He was about to answer when the phone rang. He hesitated, then decided to pick up. 'Of course I do. You head down to the car. I'll meet you there.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Yeah. Sure.'

Mulder stared at the empty space where she had stood as he reached for the phone.

'Hello?'

'Agent Mulder?' A breathless voice. Female.

'Yes, can I help you?'

'I don't have much time. Assistant Director Skinner is in danger. The illness he had has not been cured. They're coming for him.'

' _Excuse me_? Who is this?'

'You have to protect him.'

'No, no, wait. Marita? Is that you?'

The line clicked. A dead tone.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He was sure it had been Marita Covarrubias. Where had she been calling from? The last time he had seen her was at Fort Marlene. She had been an unwilling participant in the experiments to find a vaccine against the alien virus that had threatened to wipe all human life from the planet. Evidently the vaccine had worked because she was still alive. But she had been so ill, whether from the side effects of the vaccine or from the virus itself he didn't know. Either way, she had needed help and in the rush of ensuing events had been forgotten by him. He realized now that he hadn't given her a second thought after they had left the hospital. Hadn't he owed her more than that after all she had done to assist him in his work?

He looked down at his hand still clutching the receiver. He replaced it in its cradle. Stared at his fingers resting on top.

He couldn't take the risk of not doing something if someone's life was in danger. He dialed the Assistant Director's extension, but no one answered. Voice mail activated, but he didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound as if he were one step away from being sectioned. He tried Skinner's home, but had no luck there either.

Mulder switched off the lights and ran down the hall to the elevator where Scully was still waiting.

'Damn thing must be broken again,' she said, glancing at her wrist watch and pressing the call button. 'Was it important?'

'What?'

'The phone call.'

'Oh, er, no.'

She nodded. The lift doors finally slid open and they stepped inside.

Silence. Mulder rocked on his heels, stared at the digital readout, watched the numbers cycle down to level B1.

'Mulder? Something on your mind?'

'Huh? No. No, I'm fine. Sorry. Look, you pick up a takeout on your way over. We'll open up a bottle of wine, curl up on the sofa, watch an old movie…maybe I'll even let you stay over.'

' _Maybe_ …' she muttered.

The elevator's bell signaled their arrival at the basement and the doors opened. Mulder walked her to her car. She opened the door and threw her pocketbook on the backseat, then turned to him.

'You sure about this tonight? I don't have to come over if you'd rather be alone.'

'No, I want to spend some time with you. I missed you.'

'You're sure everything is okay?'

'Positive,' he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. 'I love you, Dana.'

'Do you?'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

She sighed and pushed him away. 'I haven't seen you in two weeks and you've barely even looked at me since I got back. I missed you, I was looking forward to seeing you and right now I feel about as wanted as yesterday's leftovers.'

He tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away. 'Hey, I'm sorry. I've been distracted, I know…I've got some things on my mind, but I shouldn't have let them take over. Please, let me make it up to you tonight. I love you more than anything, Dana, you know I do.'

She closed her eyes as he caressed her face. 'I love you, too. But sometimes you drive me crazy, Mulder.'

He took her into his arms and this time she didn't fight him. 'Does that mean I'm forgiven?'

'It means you get the chance to make it up. Don't blow it, okay?'

He held on to her for a while longer, then kissed her as he let her go. 'I won't. I promise. I'll see you later.'

'Okay. Around sevenish.'

He was headed back across the lot to his own car when suddenly he was gripped with the irrational feeling that he was being watched. Relationships between agents weren't exactly unheard of, but not when they were working on cases together, and certainly not within the Bureau's time and on their property. He didn't need to give them any more reasons to want him fired. Even as he put his key in the lock, he couldn't shake the feeling.

He spun around. Scanned the few cars that were left.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard an engine starting.

Okay. Only Scully.

She waved as she pulled off, leaving him once again in silence that was heavy, fume-filled and oppressive.

The lighting was poor. Only a handful of cars there. Still plenty of dark corners where a person could conceal themselves. His eyes searched deep into the shadows.

Nothing.

 _And yet…_

'Hello? Is anyone there?'

His voice echoed around the lot.

He peered around once more. Shrugged. It had been a long, tedious day. That phone call had his paranoia working overtime. He just needed to get home and unwind.

* * *

Krycek flicked the cigarette butt through the open window and immediately lit another.

A good night, at last. Something completely unexpected. Something that had kept him in his car, enticed him to slightly alter the plan.

He watched him reach for her. Saw the way she kissed him…

 _Damn_ , it had been a long time since anyone had kissed him that way.

Shit, he should have brought a camera. Spender would have loved this. Might even have been willing to forgive all his transgressions and take him back.

Yeah, right. He chuckled. Maybe in another life.

Sevenish, she'd said.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

 **MULDER'S APARTMENT**

 **HEGAL PLACE**

 **ALEXANDRIA**

 **7.20pm**

Mulder sighed as he slumped back into the leather cushions of his sofa and his eyes wandered to the display on his VCR. Scully had finally set the time for him after complaining that the flashing '88:88' was driving her insane. She was late. She was never late. And she hadn't called. He was beginning to get worried, especially in light of the weird phone call.

 _The Day the Earth Caught Fire_ was playing on HBO with the volume turned down so low he could barely hear it, but then it was only on for company anyway. He turned it up and tried to watch it, but it couldn't hold his interest.

Her presence was everywhere. Her shoes by his door. Her coats on his rack. Her hairbrushes in the basket on the table. The subtle scent of her on his cushions and pillows. He closed his eyes and replayed their conversation in the office. It twisted in his gut; the expression on her face, the tone of disappointment in her voice…

 _Dana…_

A sharp knock on the door jarred him awake. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep.

It had grown darker outside, but his apartment glowed from the diffused streetlight outside, making silhouettes of his lamp, computer, TV, bookshelves; accentuating the eerie glow from his fishtank. Trees scratched against the window pane.

Then the knocking again.

There seemed to be an urgency to it that tightened his stomach. It was now 8.10pm.

And Scully had a key.

What if there had been an accident? What if something had happened to her that might prevent him from helping Skinner against the supposed threat the phone-call had warned him about?

He slid back his peephole cover.

 _Oh, thank God_.

'Hi,' she smiled when he opened the door. She pushed past him, hands full with takeaway bags. 'Sorry, couldn't reach my key. I got Chinese. Hope that's okay,' she called from the kitchen. 'I stopped at Ernie's for some beers because I knew you wouldn't have any.'

'Yeah, great,' he said, trying hard to keep the relief he felt from his voice. She would only chastise him for being paranoid. 'Where've you been? Why didn't you call?'

'I'm sorry, I know I should have. Mom called me. Bill is being reassigned to Fort Worth. She was so excited that he's coming home and she wanted to tell me right away. I haven't called her in a while, so I guess I felt a little guilty and I kept her talking for longer than I usually would have.'

'Oh, right. That's...great. I'm...pleased for him.'

'I know you two don't get along, but try and have just a touch more sincerity when you say that to him, okay?'

'He hates me, Dana.'

'He doesn't hate you. I'm just his only sister now. He doesn't want to see me hurt.'

'And he thinks I do?'

'Come on. Don't be like that. You know what I mean.'

'Look, I know everything unimaginable that has happened to you is my fault, and you can't know the guilt I feel about it without your brother pointing out every little - '

'Hey…please,' she whispered, taking his hand, 'I came here tonight because I wanted to spend some time with you. I don't want to waste any of it fighting with you over Bill.'

'Yeah, alright,' he sighed. 'I'm sorry.'

'Anyway, the other reason she called was to invite us to dinner next Thursday. Bill should be settled by then. She thought it would be nice to get us all together.'

Mulder groaned, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the countertop. He couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't upset her even further.

'I do understand the way you feel,' she continued, sharing out egg fried noodles, spring rolls and Szechwan pork onto plates, 'and I know that it's not going to be the best of experiences for you, but I really would appreciate you making the effort. I don't want to disappoint my mom.'

'I won't disappoint her. I like your mother.'

She spun to face him, not looking amused. 'Mulder - '

'Alright, alright. I promise to sit there and take every litte snide remark he sends my way and just smile and thank him for it, then cry about it when I get home.'

'I'll take that.'

'You know, you're not going to get this for free. I expect the favor to be returned.'

'Oh, I'm sure something can be arranged,' she said, smiling.

During dinner, Mulder slipped back into himself again, staring solemnly at his plate and pushing noodles around like they were a new species on a microscope slide. Maybe he was worried about this dinner with her brother, but she somehow doubted it. Clearly there was something on his mind, even if he wouldn't admit it, and she was sure it had to do with that phone call.

'Mulder? You're quiet tonight. Is everything okay?'

'Sure. Why wouldn't it be?'

'Like I said, you're quiet.'

He shrugged. 'I'm sorry. It's not intentional. What did you want to talk about?'

'Well…nothing in particular, I guess. What about what you've been working on while I've been away?'

'Couple of UFO sightings. Nutcases, mostly. But I enjoyed the stakeouts. Other than that, I took the opportunity to catch up on some paperwork. Nothing too exciting.'

'Nothing too exciting? That's why you couldn't answer your phone or return any of my calls?'

He sighed and put his plate down on the coffee table. 'I'm going to get another beer. You want one?'

'Yeah,' she said, suddenly not feeling very hungry at all.

He had started towards the kitchen when another knock came at the door. He looked to Scully, as though somehow it was something to do with her. Then it came again.

'I take it you're not expecting anyone,' she said.

He shook his head. The fear that had gripped him in the car lot reasserted itself, tightening a steel band across his chest.

'Well staring at the damn thing isn't going to open it, is it?' She went to the door and looked through the viewer, but couldn't see anything.

'What's wrong?' Mulder asked. Every nerve in his body was raw, crawling with electricity when he saw the concern on Scully's face.

She waved a hand to call him over and pointed silently to the viewer. Blackness. Someone was blocking it. She reached for her holster hung beneath her coat on the rack and unclipped the Glock from its leather pouch. Nodding her readiness to Mulder, she watched his hand close silently over the doorknob. As quickly as a snake strike, he yanked it open.

'You goddamned son of a bitch,' Mulder hissed, grabbing Krycek and slamming him back against the wall before he had the chance to speak. 'Want to take a shot at beating me with one arm now?' He launched an uppercut right beneath Krycek's ribs, knocking the air explosively from his lungs.

'Mulder, stop it!' Scully yelled, trying to grab his shoulders to pull him back.

He shook off her hands but did step back, trying to catch his breath that still came in angry, ragged bursts.

Krycek coughed and sputtered as he pulled himself to his feet, bracing himself against the wall.

'You…greet everyone…this way?'

'No, jackass. Just assholes who've tried to kill me.'

' _Kill_ you? I walked away, Mulder!'

'And yet you keep on coming back like a goddamned fungal infection.'

'I didn't come here for a fight.'

'Well, I guess you got that one for free. You've got some balls showing up here again, you know that?'

'I helped you, goddammit! I told you about the plans for colonization. Gave you the locations. The key players. You owe me.'

'I owe you a bullet, and that's it.' Mulder turned and headed back into his apartment.

'So can I come in? What I have to say, you don't want the neighbors to hear.'

'After you,' said Scully, watching him.

'I am so sick of the sight of you, Krycek,' Mulder said with a heavy tiredness that arose from deep within; from years of being deceived and manipulated by this man who now had the audacity to turn up at his home yet again. 'Just say what you came to say and then get the hell out.'

'You should have more respect for the man who saved your life, you know.'

'And just how exactly did you do that, because I guess I must have amnesia or something.'

'Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass for a second, you'd remember.' He reached into his jacket for a battered silver-plated cigarette case.

'Don't even think about it,' Scully told him as she snatched the cigarette from his mouth and threw it back into his face.

'You people have no sense of social grace, do you? Sure. Okay. Fine by me. I came to tell you that Skinner is in danger.'

 _Jesus,_ thought Mulder. _The phone call…_

' _What_?'

'You heard me, Scully. You want to know why? Because of your partner. Father Torquemada over there.'

'What the hell are you talking about?'

'It's just more bullshit, Dana,' said Mulder, though his mouth had dried to sandpaper. 'The guy has a goddamned PhD in it.'

'Jesus, Mulder, you think you're so fucking superior, don't you? Think you're so far above everyone else it's a wonder you don't get nosebleeds. I'm not the one getting people killed here, you know.'

'You're the one doing the killing, last I heard.'

Krycek shook his head and sighed. 'You remember Skinner getting sick before, right?'

'Of course.'

'I infected him with the nanites. I was ordered to take him to the brink of death then bring him back. You know why, Mulder? Because of you _._ Because you just won't stop. Because he is stupid enough to believe that he can protect you from what will come. How does that sit in your conscience?'

Mulder's eyes clouded, his expression changing from controlled anger to one of...shame? Scully could see that Krycek had hit a nerve. Mulder really _did_ believe he was responsible. But why? Why was he listening to someone who had been proven many times over to be a liar, a coward, and a murderer?

'Okay, that's enough,' she said. 'Get out, you evil bastard. Get out right now.'

Krycek all but ignored her, keeping the intensity of his gaze fixed on Mulder, enjoying his torment.

'That insatiable appetite for knowledge, that indefatigable search for the truth, that's all that really matters to you, isn't it? I know you, _moiy droog._ Better than anyone.'

'You black-hearted, twisted, malicious son of a bitch,' she spat, getting to her feet, keeping the gun on him. 'Get out or I swear I'll kill you.'

His confidence faltered. Perhaps he was unsettled by the passion of Scully's anger and the coldness in her eyes. He didn't doubt that she'd pull the trigger because he didn't have the control over her that he did with Mulder. She didn't care about what he had to say. She was far more anchored, stronger, with a smaller core of emotional pain to utilize, and was consequently harder to get to. That made her far more dangerous to him.

Particularly if she was feeling trigger-happy.

'I was instructed to infect Skinner as part of a long term program of control. And as a secondary concern, a warning. To him and to you. He was beginning to step out of line. To breach protocol he swore he would follow. Surely you must have suspected his divided loyalties by now? Agent Spender made the mistake of betraying the trust placed in him. He was eliminated. They won't hesitate to do the same to Skinner. And to me.'

'That's ridiculous,' Mulder said. 'The AD has been a thorn in my side for years. He's blocked my path, suspended me, launched investigations into our activities. This is what constitutes help in your book?'

'You can drop the feigned surprise. You don't lie very well, Mulder. This isn't the first time others have made the sacrifice for you and you know it. The men who took Scully did it to keep you down. You know that. Scully was lucky. Skinner won't be if you don't help me.'

Mulder's eyes locked with Krycek's. He was aware of Scully reluctantly lowering herself back into an armchair, but the gun stayed in her hand. Seconds passed, then a slow smile started to creep across Mulder's face.

'You want to know what I think? I think that you need something from us, but you know that we'd quite happily see your bloated corpse floating in the Potomac. So you're prepared to say just about whatever it takes. This is more like the Krycek we know, hey, Scully?'

'I'm serious, Mulder! Listen to me! The Syndicate – the people that the Smoking Man and I work for – ordered Scully's termination, the deaths of both your deep background sources and your father, then manufactured the elaborate plan to divert your attention away from colonization. They're all dead now. Everyone. They were killed by the alien rebels. They were the nameless, untraceable bodies they found at El Rico Air Base. You saw the photos. You saw the evidence for yourself. You must have thought then that you had won, but you couldn't have been more wrong. All the rebels did was delay the inevitable. The date is still set. It's just been rescheduled.'

Mulder shook his head. 'Why should I believe a word you say?'

'I didn't lie to you about the war going on, did I? I put my life in your hands when I came to give you the knowledge that saved you and allowed us all to live. The threat from the Syndicate is gone now. I'm alone. What could I possibly gain by lying to you?'

'I'm still trying to figure that out.'

'I don't have time for this! What I came here to tell you is that the Syndicate you knew might be gone, but there is a new threat. An even greater one. The group you knew was a splinter. They operated outside the Government. Just trying to save themselves. When the war started, they lost control of it all. They became acquisitive and selfish, stupidly complacent, confident that they held the upper hand. But they failed to realize that if you make a deal with the devil then you can expect him to take your soul in return. They thought they were protecting themselves. All they were doing was buying their tickets on a one-way journey. They failed to anticipate the rebels and their vehemence for victory at all costs. They are winning the war, Mulder. A war with us and the planet as the spoils. We have been backed into a corner here. We have no choice but to switch our loyalty to them if we wish to survive the apocalypse.'

'' _We'_? Who is this ' _we'_? You're admitting your involvement now?'

Krycek smiled. 'Of course. They may be alien, but they understand us well enough not to trust us. The price for our promised survival was a small demonstration of our submittance and regret for the past. They want us to hand over all technology given to us by the conspirators. The Nanites. The control device. And those responsible for their theft.'

'You were responsible for what happened to Skinner?' Scully's cold anger was palpable. 'You _tortured_ him? Do you even _care_ about what you put him through?'

'I was a soldier. Following orders under the price of my own life. I wasn't paid to care.'

'I'm sure Skinner would be gratified to hear that,' she replied. 'You know, I can see right through you. You're not fooling me. Not for one second. You're a liar, Krycek. You're a cold-blooded, manipulative killer who wouldn't know the truth if it pointed a sawn-off shotgun in your face.'

Mulder waved her quiet, a move that infuriated her so much that she was stunned into silence.

'Aren't they worried that their plans are exposed now?'

'Damage limitation has been in operation since the death of the Syndicate. What does anyone really know? What proof is there? That's why they aren't worried about you. They know you have nothing other than a few crime scene photos that prove nothing. There are plenty of people with stories out there, but that's all they are. People are notoriously unreliable. Memory fallible and open to interpretation.'

'So why don't you just give them what they want and apologize for the...misunderstanding?'

'Yeah,' he laughed. 'Buy them a box of candy and a card from the kiss-ass aisle at Hallmark. They want me dead, Mulder. Skinner, too. If we can figure out a way to get those things out of his blood, they'll have no reason to come after us anymore.'

'But you said they want you dead. Nothing will stop them if that's all that will satisfy them. And to be honest with you, I don't see why I should risk my life protecting yours. Thanks for the info about Skinner though. Scully and I will look into it. Now, you've said what you came to say. So get the hell out of my apartment.'

'Hold up there a second. I have one or two more pieces of information you might be interested in. I know where your sister is.'

'Oh, good God,' exclaimed Scully, 'that's it. I cannot believe that I'm listening to this. Furthermore, Mulder, I can't believe _you_ are listening to it.'

She stood and went over to the window to distance herself from the source of her anger because she knew Krycek was feeding on it like a leech.

'They still have her, Mulder. They always have.'

'You really expect me to believe that? I saw my sister last year. The Smoking Man brought her to me.'

'She was just a clone. No different to those you saw in Canada, or the one killed by the Bounty Hunter. You believed it because he _wanted_ you to believe it. You haven't seen your sister since she was a kid, how could you possibly be sure it was her? But I _have_ seen her, Mulder. And she's closer than you could ever have imagined.'

From her distanced position, Scully turned to Krycek almost open-mouthed. She watched in horror as Mulder's eyes darkened with years of pain and guilt.

'You've _seen_ her? You have proof of this?' The question was voiced with such child-like naivety that it made Scully want to scream at him.

'Mulder,' she tried, but Krycek's voice seemed to be having an almost hypnotic effect on him. He didn't even seem aware that she still existed. 'Please don't listen to him.'

'She asks about you. She misses you, but understands that the part she has played in helping us fight the oncoming plague far outweighed any personal cost. I can tell you where she is. Talk to her, and I guarantee you'll have all the proof you need.'

'I…I don't believe you.'

'The…tests…they were hard on her to begin with. But she came to understand how important they were. What's left of the Syndicate still has her.'

Mulder broke his stare, his gaze falling to the tabletop, seeing visions of the past; _his_ past. He saw flashes of his mother, his father, heated fights, broken dishes, smashed furniture, Spender, the Summerhouse, strobing, strange lights, smoke, shadowy figures in the dark…

Why had she been taken and not him?

'No. No,' he said, his mind losing the fight against his heart, 'I don't believe you. You're trying to manipulate me and it won't work.'

'You still don't get it, do you? They are going to kill me, Mulder! I have nothing left to lose, so I have no reason to keep anything from you. If I die, any hope you have of seeing your sister again dies with me.'

'I don't give a rat's ass what happens to you, Krycek. And I don't believe you know anything about my sister, but I do know that you killed my father. So go tell whoever sent you that I'm not so easy to get around anymore. Go to hell, Alex.'

'I didn't kill your father! I was there, I admit it. I admit I did nothing to stop it, but it wasn't me who pulled the trigger. Your father signed his own death warrant with the choices he made years ago. I am a soldier fighting a war, Mulder! I am fighting for what I believe in; a war against the colonizers who threaten the lives of everyone on this planet! I do what needs to be done. What men like you are too gutless to do.'

If Krycek was lying, he was pulling off a better job than usual, thought Mulder. He may even have given him a few more minutes had he not detected a slight, but obvious, glint of victory in Krycek's eyes.

Mulder stood up, strolled across to him, then shot out his hand, grabbing Krycek's throat and pushing him back toward the door. 'I thought Scully told you to get out.'

'I'll…kill…him, Mulder,' he choked, scrabbling at Mulder's hands. 'I…still have…device. One…button…he…dies.' Mulder's grip loosened and he let him go. Krycek dropped to the floor. 'I'm a reasonable man,' he coughed, pulling himself to his feet. 'I understand that you don't need any more blood on your hands. I don't want to kill him. But if you push me into a choice between him or me, it's going to be me.'

Mulder couldn't help himself. His fist flew again, catching Krycek squarely on the jaw and sending him reeling backwards over his dining table. He rolled off and into the chairs before falling in an undignified heap on the floor. Mulder came around the table, flipped him over onto his back with a sharp kick to the ribs, then planted his foot against Krycek's throat. His face flushed and his eyes grew large as he frantically scratched at Mulder's ankles.

'Listen up, you son of a bitch. If Skinner so much as sneezes, you'll be sucking food through a straw and wearing diapers for the rest of your life. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Give it to me.'

'Give...you...what?'

'The device, the computer, whatever the hell it is.'

'It's...in...my...pocket,' Krycek gurgled as he fought for breath and his eyes started watering. His hand went towards his jacket, but Scully caught the movement and dropped to her knees, grabbed his wrist, and held him back.

'I don't think so,' she said. She opened his jacket and took the small metal case from his inside pocket.

'What is it?' Mulder asked her.

'I don't know.' Her brow furrowed as she turned the object over in her hands, looking for the catch to open it. It was about the size of a pocket organizer, but a little thicker and heavier, constructed of a silver, tempered type of metal that was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She eventually popped it open by sliding her fingernail into the ridge along the side. It looked like a palmtop computer, except the readouts on the screen were strange – unrecognizable symbols and shapes. There was no keypad. Just a metal stylus that was used with the touch screen.

'Don't...touch...anything. You...don't...understand...it.'

'How does this work, Krycek?'

'If...you...tell…this...psycho...to...get...his...foot...off...my... throat…'

Scully nodded, and Mulder stood back, allowing Krycek to pull himself up onto one of the chairs. He leaned forward onto the table, coughing, still struggling for breath.

'Well?' Scully prompted.

'It's a transmitting computer. Kind of a remote control. It sends signals to the receivers in the Nanites. It tells them to multiply or desist. To repair themselves or enter a dormant phase. To kill or to save. At the moment, they are dormant. That's what the display there is saying.'

'This is Navajo, Krycek. Which means that this is about as alien as I am,' she said, handing the device to Mulder.

'The device _is_ alien, Scully. The language is ancient. Way before the Navajos started using it.'

Mulder gazed at it, his interest piqued, but Scully's reservations were still a considerable force exerting their influence over him. 'Where did you get this?'

'The Syndicate. Cancer Man.'

As he looked at it, a shiver of anticipation and excitement ran up his spine. This was the first thing Krycek had given him that came anywhere near proof of what he was telling them. The language on the computer was indeed Navajo. The same language used to encrypt the MJ-12 documents on the DAT tape he'd almost been killed for; that The Thinker had died to bring to him.

'Why would anyone design this to use Navajo?'

'Because it is the language of the ancients. Of the aliens. No-one designed it. Like I told you, the technology is alien and extremely valuable which is why they want it back so badly.'

'If this is capable of taking Skinner out of remission, then why don't I just destroy it right now and let them come for you?'

'Because that won't get the nanites out of his system. They want those just as much as this.'

'I'm still not seeing why we need you.'

Krycek sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'I guess the truth is that maybe there's a chance you don't. But I'm desperate, Mulder. I have information and the ability to use that device, and I thought that might just be enough to buy me some help. Because I've been hiding from them for nearly two years. Because I don't sleep. Because I barely eat. Because I'm tired. Because I am just so _fucking_ tired. Because they're going to catch up to me sooner or later and the things they'd do to me make a bullet in the head seem pretty preferable.' His eyes flickered to the window before settling back on Mulder. 'If you destroy that machine, then you destroy my last hope and I become a man with absolutely nothing to lose. That makes me a very dangerous enemy. To begin with, the OPR will get some information about the out-of-hours investigations that have been taking place between two bureau agents not a million miles from here. I have photographs. The latest ones taken in the bureau car lot today.'

Panic and fear flashed in Mulder's eyes for a split second as the memory of the car lot snapped across his mind. He had _known_ someone was there. He'd felt their presence like a phantom spider's web enveloping his body, tickling and prickling along his neck. Now he knew why.

Krycek picked up on the momentary lapse in Mulder's defense and congratulated himself that his gamble had paid off. No matter what Mulder might say now to the contrary, he knew that he _believed_ Krycek had evidence. He'd tried threats to Skinner, promises of his sister, but in the end the most powerful tool had been the threat of discovery of their relationship. Not because he was afraid of people knowing, but because he knew it would likely cost him his career; it would certainly cost him the X-Files. And, by extension, his ability to carry on his work which Krycek knew meant more to him than anything.

'That all you have, Krycek? I doubt anyone would be that interested,' said Scully. 'What we do on our own time is our business.'

'Maybe. But what about the shared hotel rooms that the bureau footed the bill for? The wasted time at the office. Not to mention the conflict of interests. And with the track record you two have? You think they need much more of a reason to throw you out on your ass?'

Mulder laughed, but there was no humor there. It was more the bitter sound of futility as he pulled out a chair and slid into it. He rubbed his face and sighed, propping his head up with his hand.

'You're absolutely unbelievable, you know that?'

'Without me, Mulder, Skinner will die. Without me, the knowledge of the coming apocalypse is lost to you. You'll die. Scully will die. Everyone you've ever cared about will die, including your sister. Is that really what you want?'

'I've told you that I don't believe you, Krycek. You're full of bullshit, you always were.'

'I'm not lying to you! For God's sake, why do you think I'd come here and risk everything when I've managed to evade them for two years already? Because it's happening, Mulder! I've run out of time! And so will you soon if you don't listen to me!'

Mulder sighed again and glanced at Scully. The expression on her face made her feelings plain. He should throw Krycek out on his ass, he knew that. But the phone call…and now Krycek turning up here…could he really take the chance? He looked back at him and realised that Krycek did look thinner than he used to be. His skin was darkened and textured as though he'd spent too long outside, and there were new lines around his eyes that hadn't been there before. It was a lot of work to go through just to prove a lie. Was it possible that he really was telling the truth this time?

'Look, Mulder, I'm offering you a good deal here. You get Skinner alive, your sister back, everything you've ever wanted. All I'm asking for is your help.'

'Alright,' Mulder sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose and trying not to look at Scully. 'What do you want us to do?'

'Mulder, come on! What the hell is wrong with you?' Scully pleaded. 'I can't believe you're listening to him!'

He looked at her with an ancient, incomprehensible pain. The vulnerability she sensed in him brought her close to tears.

'I'm sorry, Dana. I have no choice.'

'Fine. Then you can live with the consequences alone.'

She holstered her gun and grabbed her coat from the rack.

'Dana, come on, please. Wait.'

He went after her, but she slammed the door before he could say anymore. He leaned miserably against it.

'Well. That was inevitable. Back to the video collection, then?'

'You,' he spat, 'can shut the hell up if you want me to help you. That's the last wisecrack I want to hear coming from your poisonous goddamned mouth.'

He shrugged, raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press his luck.

'What exactly is it you think I can do for you anyway?'

'You need to warn Skinner. They'll most likely try to abduct him first to retrieve the nanites. Removing them takes time. He won't survive the process.'

The same warning as Marita's. Maybe if he had told Scully about that phone-call, she would have understood his giving in. Maybe she wouldn't have left thinking that he was such a selfish, naïve asshole.

'A moment ago you were threatening to kill him yourself.'

'Yeah, well. Needs must. But there is a way out of this where no-one has to die. If we can figure out how to destroy those things, we can give back the controller and tell them the nanites are gone. They may want proof, but a blood sample should suffice.'

'And what about you? They want you dead.'

'A man can fake his own death, Mulder. If they have their technology back, they won't care so much about Skinner or me. They have bigger things to worry about. But we are going to need Scully's expertise. She's studied these things before. So, looks like you have some making up to do, _moiy droog_.'

'I am not your damn friend, Krycek. And don't worry about Scully. She has a conscience, unlike you. She'll be here – for Skinner's sake.'

'Good. Glad you have faith in her. Let's hope it's not as misplaced as mine was in you.'

Mulder needed some space. He went out to the kitchen and stood at his sideboard, silently taking in the remnants of their meal as his heart seemed to shrivel and die in his chest.

He shouldn't have let her go so easily. But she should have understood that any chance to find his sister, no matter how unlikely, had to be taken. He could never have lived with himself otherwise. If she loved him as much as she said she did, she should understand why he couldn't pass this by, especially not in light of the warning from Marita that, however incredible, did lend substance to Krycek's claims. Whether or not that danger actually came from him too remained to be seen.

'I was beginning to think you'd gone on the lam, Mulder.'

He was aware of Krycek silhouetted in the pale light from his desk lamp, leaning against his kitchen doorframe. Mulder said nothing.

'You shouldn't beat yourself up over it, you know. Women weaken you. Distract you from your purpose. Ruin your life. You should get rid of her now while you still can.'

'If I wanted relationship advice, I'd talk to my fish before I talked to you.'

Krycek smirked. 'Whatever. Look, that thing emits some kind of traceable signal when it's opened. Pretty soon they're going to figure out I'm here, so we don't have time to lament your inability to form relationships.'

Mulder wasn't about to enter into any further conversation with Krycek on the matter. He turned away from him and started to clear up. 'I'm going to change first. Then you can head to Skinner's while I go get Scully. And I'm keeping the controller.'

'Are you crazy? I'm not going over there alone. He'll kill me.'

'Guess that's a risk you'll have to take.'

'And what assurances do I have that you won't just take the controller and leave me there like someone's bad date?'

'You don't,' he said as he pushed past him.

Mulder emerged a couple of minutes later in a gray t-shirt under a black v-neck sweater, jeans and desert boots, then grabbed his leather jacket from the closet.

Krycek was hovering by the window, parting the blinds and glancing down at the street.

'You ready?'

'Yeah. Don't take all night about this, Mulder. We don't have much time. There's a car down there that has circled the block four times now. I think they know I'm here.'

'I'll be as long as it takes. You told me you need Scully, so you'll have to wait. And I'm warning you, Krycek, I'm watching you. I so much as smell a rat, you're not going to be walking away this time.'

'Take a ticket and get in line,' he muttered to himself as he followed Mulder down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

 **GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON DC**

 **10.18pm**

Mulder's Ford Taurus pulled up outside Scully's apartment building just a couple of minutes behind her Chrysler. She had seen him approach in her rear-view mirror, but had decided to ignore him and instead hurried up the stone steps through the fallen leaves, hoping to put the door between them before he could catch up to her. She sensed him behind her as she fumbled for her keys, cursing at her clumsiness and the anger that had brought it on. The warm fall breeze ruffled her hair and prickled the back of her neck. Or it may have been his touch as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

'Dana,' he said softly, 'please listen to me.'

'So where is he now, huh?' She shrugged him off as she found her key and shoved it in the lock. 'This new friend of yours?'

'Why is it so hard for you to see that he's given me no choice? We both saw what happened to Skinner. _S_ _omeone_ orchestrated the whole thing. _S_ _omeone_ made those calls to him. Krycek doesn't have the intelligence to design anything like that himself, which means he must have been acting under orders. What if we refuse to help him now and Skinner dies?'

She spun to face him, anger still a ghost in her eyes. 'Krycek is a pathetic excuse for a human being, Mulder. You know he's a liar and a murderer who has tried to mislead you before. He will tell you anything that he thinks you want to hear. Why can't _you_ see that?'

He sighed and raised his eyes to the sky as the uncertainty he had been ignoring touched him again. He knew she was right, but he still felt that he could control the situation as long as he held the device. And there was still Marita's warning.

'There's something I haven't told you, Dana. We know that a larger, controlling group was behind the attack on Skinner. I can't be more specific right now but I have received a warning, other than Krycek's, that his life is in danger.'

'What warning? Do you mean the phone-call tonight?'

'If you have a better explanation for what that thing he had was,' he said evasively, 'I'd love to hear it.'

'It could be an organizer for all you know. They used Navajo to encrypt documents during the war. It's not beyond their capabilities to produce an extremely authentic piece of hardware to convince you that what Krycek is telling you is the truth. They've gone to these lengths before. Did it even occur to you that maybe Krycek is the one the phone call warned you about?'

She could see from the momentary aversion of his eyes from hers that it hadn't.

'How could it?' he asked. 'Why would he come to us first? If he wanted to hurt Skinner, he could just do it like he did before.'

'You didn't leave him with that thing, did you?'

'No, of course not. I have it right here,' he said, tapping his breast pocket. 'We can get it analyzed along with Skinner's blood, if it would make you more comfortable.'

'It's not a question of making me comfortable. _You_ are concerning me most right now. Yes, I'd like to get it looked at, but just to prove to you what they are capable of. How far they'll go. They still want to destroy you, Mulder. They are just giving you the rope so you can hang yourself.'

'I don't think they are this time. Krycek seems…different somehow.'

'He's given you nothing but hollow promises and empty words. If that thing is genuine, all it proves is that he was the one who made Skinner sick. It doesn't prove that he knows where Samantha is and the only threat to Skinner that I can see now is from him.'

'Look, if they were trying to set us up, why now? Why bother? We've done nothing to merit undue attention from anyone, and the immediate threat from the Syndicate is gone. It would make no sense. I know we have the upper hand here. We have the leverage with Krycek, the computer and Skinner. We hold all the cards. The way I see it is we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is what I've spent my whole life looking for, Dana. Please try to understand. We need your help.'

Disappointment shimmered in her eyes; a deep hurt that forced her to look away from him as she fought to dispel the heartache that his words cast upon her.

'All I've ever done is try to understand, Fox. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to see them using the qualities I love most about you – your faith, your passion, your understanding and determination – against you? You trust in them so easily, but you can't trust _me_.'

She couldn't say anymore. She just lowered her eyes to the leaves swirling at her feet, caught in the force that was invisible but nonetheless had the power to shift and change, to gently tease her hair, or to uproot trees and destroy whole towns. He was motionless, but she could feel his pain in the heaviness of his silence.

She sighed. 'How many times have we been here? How many times do they have to do this to you? They hand you lies veiled in truths, sweeten you with promises of your sister and then snatch it all away. You are the strongest weapon they possess, and you're allowing them to continue to use you without compunction or conscience. How many times will you come to me saying this time, _this time,_ it will be different?'

'I have been close,' he said quietly, maybe partially trying to convince himself. 'That's why they took us off the X-Files, why you got sick, why Skinner is in trouble now. What other reason would there be? Why all this death just to keep me down? I'm not arrogant enough to think that I'm that important.'

'Maybe _you're_ not, but the continued perpetuation of the lies is. They conceal far more than the things they've allowed you to bear witness to. You said it yourself that this thing is bigger than both of us. You are so desperate to believe, so ready to listen to their lies. You're the loudest, most convincing oracle in their armory to spread their disinformation. They would do anything to make you believe, including sending Krycek here with everything you've ever wanted wrapped in a big silver bow if it served their purpose.'

His face remained dispassionate as he kept her gaze. She wished that she could see beyond the surface pain swimming there to know if he truly had heard her.

'When you first told me...how you felt about me...I thought that things would change. That we could start to plan a future together. Put the past behind us. I thought I could pull you away from the course of self-destruction you had decided to follow. Maybe that's where I was arrogant, too.' She paused, choking down the fist in her throat. 'I should have realized how important this was to you. I was naive and selfish to think I could change or make a difference to you, and I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself like this. I am so sorry, Mulder, but I just can't do it anymore.'

The pain she felt in having to say such things was comparable only to that reflected in his eyes, but there was nothing left to be said. The longer she continued to look at him, the more she died inside. She turned around and opened her door.

'Dana, please, wait.' He grabbed her hand, held it tight in both of his. 'We need you… _I_ need you. Please. I can't do this alone.'

She wasn't listening anymore. He hadn't even come close to saying the words that might have stopped her. A myriad of emotions crashed through her like a typhoon – dejection, anger, regret, disappointment, grief – but it was an extreme, heavy, black sadness that crushed her heart the most.

Then the gentle touch of his fingers as they traced down the back of her neck brought memories of the first time he'd touched her that way, and her resolve was instantly undermined. She turned around, closed her eyes and leaned into his caress.

'Dana, no truth I could ever find would mean anything to me if you weren't there to share it.'

He raised his hands to her face as he kissed her forehead, and drew slow, tender circles on her cheeks with his thumbs. The sensation was like gossamer on silk, and she ached for him. For the person he used to be.

'I love you more than I knew it was possible to love anyone. I swear to you that you are the most important thing in my life. I don't want to lose you. If you want me to stop all this right now, I will.'

They stood together in a silence that seemed to last forever, holding each other. She believed that _he_ believed he meant it. But she also knew that it wasn't what he wanted. Not really. He had demons that still plagued him, and she knew they would continue to do so until he'd felt he had done all he could to exorcise them. His passion for his cause, his intensity, his devotion were just some of the reasons she had fallen for him. She loved him, and she could not let him fall. Not now.

No matter how much he hurt her.

'I don't want you to do that,' she sighed weakly. 'I will help you. You know I will.'

He smiled and hugged her. 'Thank you,' he whispered into her hair.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment while it lasted. Because that's all they seemed to have anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry it's been a while since the last update - been working a lot and had real life stuff to sort, so to apologise, there's two chapters today. Enjoy! :-)

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **SKINNER'S APARTMENT**

 **VIVA TOWER, CRYSTAL CITY**

 **ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA**

 **10:56pm**

'Managed to work your way back in then, huh?' said Krycek as he watched them both climb out of Mulder's car. He had been sitting on the curbside, back propped against a street light, his eyes closed as he drew deeply on a cigarette. But now he stood to face them, flicking the butt away. If Mulder was right, thought Scully, and Krycek was genuinely in need of their help, he was showing no signs of anxiety about it now. That didn't bode well for evidence of his integrity.

'Cut it, Krycek. You've been warned. You also ought to know about a few conditions concerning our help that we discussed on the way over,' said Mulder.

'Conditions?'

'Yeah. The small print. Firstly, we keep the device. If it really is what controls Skinner's illness, then it's our insurance that he won't come to further harm.'

He gave him a few seconds to think about that. Krycek raised an eyebrow and sighed. 'Sure. Just as long as you understand that if you open it or use it, it becomes traceable.'

'I won't be doing either of those things, and by keeping hold of it, neither will you.'

Krycek shrugged.

'As for the other condition, I don't think it will come as too much of a surprise that we don't trust you, and we're still not convinced you're not taking us for a ride. So...' Mulder jabbed a fist so quickly into Krycek's face that he could never have seen it coming. As he reeled, Mulder grabbed him and threw him forward across the hood, then twisted his arm up high behind his back and held it there while Scully searched him and took a snub-nosed Browning from an ankle strap, a Russian-made MP-443 Grach from a shoulder holster, plus two clips and a switchblade from his pockets.

'For fuck's sake!' he screamed, his face purple as Mulder pressed it against the metal. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

Mulder ignored him. 'That all, Scully?'

She nodded as she passed a set of handcuffs to Mulder who snapped one of them around Krycek's wrist.

'How is thing secured, Krycek?' asked Mulder, searching along his prosthetic arm to try to find where it was joined to his shoulder.

' _What_? What the fuck are you doing, you sick bastard?'

'Ah…straps. Good, then these will hold you just fine,' Mulder said, ignoring him as he secured the other cuff.

'Have you finally lost it, you stupid, crazy son-of-a-bitch?!'

Mulder stood back to let him up, which turned out to be a mistake. Krycek spun around and kicked out sideways at him, hoping to send him flying through the windshield, but Mulder saw it coming, grabbed his ankle and pulled. He lost his balance and fell hard, his shoulder taking the impact, his breath exploding from him as he hit the curb.

'I'm gonna rip your goddamned throat out with my bare hands,' he gasped, trying to haul himself to his feet. 'I'll gut your fucking carcass like a - '

'Hand, jackass. You only have the one now.' Mulder punched him again across the jaw. He couldn't save himself with his arms restrained, hit the trunk, rolled off and landed on his back on the sidewalk. Winded, he tried to get to his knees, but Mulder was already beside him. He grabbed his hair and yanked back his head as he crouched beside him.

'That was for my father, you son of a bitch, and there are still a whole lot of people I owe you for. You are our prisoner. Not our friend. That clear?'

'Fuck you,' Krycek gasped. Pure hatred burned in his eyes as he tried to wriggle free, but Mulder gripped his hair harder.

'Now we're going in there and you're going to tell Skinner exactly what you told us and if he feels like kicking the shit out of you too, you're going to sit there nice and quiet while he does. And when he's finished, seeing as it's his life in danger, we're going to do whatever he decides. You got that?'

Krycek tried to rear up again, but failed. Mulder kept him down with a firm hand on his shoulder. 'Did I tell you that you could get up?'

' _Poshel na khui, suka, blyad!_ ' Krycek screamed again, trying to twist away, but Mulder punched him again. And again. And again. Blood spattered the rear fender and when Krycek fell, his forehead caught the tailpipe.

'Mulder! Stop it! That's enough!'

' _Ya oobyooh vas_ … _ublyudok_ ,' Krycek groaned. He rolled over onto his side and tried to twist himself back up onto his knees, but he didn't have the strength. He spat blood onto the sidewalk, groaned in defeat, then finally gave up the struggle and laid down where he had fallen, breathless.

'Get up, you pathetic excuse for a human being,' said Mulder, hauling him back to his feet and pushing him on ahead. He watched as Krycek stumbled up the steps and towards the lobby.

'Are you satisfied now?' he asked Scully.

' _Satisfied_? For God's sake, what the hell is wrong with you? He was unarmed and restrained, he was not a threat anymore. Don't you dare try to assign culpability for that assault to me. I asked you to cuff him. That's all.'

'What's with the holier-than-thou attitude all of a sudden? Have you forgotten what he's done?'

'Just lay off it a little, alright? You're angry, I understand, but you're better than this. Better than _him_.'

Krycek was waiting for them by the door buzzers at the lobby. He had a deep gash to his forehead that was oozing blood into his swollen eye and more blood was trickling from his nose and the corner of his mouth. He was pale, slick with perspiration, and his breathing seemed troubled and shallow. Scully felt a flicker of clinical concern and wondered if Mulder had caused some internal injury. He'd gone far beyond his own reserve line, and even though Krycek probably had deserved it, she was still disappointed at Mulder's lack of control.

But she was a doctor. She had taken an oath. Krycek wasn't going to turn her into a monster too.

'Are you okay?'

'Fine,' he spat.

'Can I take a look?'

'I said I'm fine.'

'At least let me try to stop the bleeding.'

'I'm not a fucking child, I don't need your damned help. Leave me the hell alone.'

She clicked her tongue and sighed, sorry she'd bothered. She should have just let him bleed to death and saved everyone a lot of trouble.

'Yes?' Skinner's unmistakable somber, stiff tone over the intercom.

'Sir, it's Agents Mulder and Scully. We need to speak to you on a matter of some urgency. Could we come up, please?'

A pause, then, 'It's almost eleven, Agent.'

'I realize that, sir, and I apologize for the late hour but we wouldn't have come to your home unless it was important.'

They waited, but the voice didn't return. Instead, the door popped open. They went to the elevator and rode up to the seventeenth floor in silence. Skinner's apartment was halfway along the hallway on the right side. Mulder tapped on the door.

Walter Skinner answered almost immediately. Surprisingly, given the time, he still wore his suit and his only attempt at relaxation had been to loosen his tie. His toned muscles were perceptible under his close-fitting shirt as he raised a hand to his collar to unbutton it.

'Were you working late, sir?' asked Scully.

'I was. I just got home and was about to go to bed.' His voice was edgy, his eyes hidden beneath a frown. 'What's this about?'

'We've brought someone who has some important information for you,' said Mulder as he pulled Krycek into view of the door.

Skinner's anger was palpable. Scully saw his eyes glaze over even under his glasses and the muscles in his jaw and neck tensed like steel cables.

'Get that bastard the hell out of my home.'

'I think it may be within your interests to listen to him, sir. It concerns the reason why you were sick.'

He met Krycek's eyes and his face changed to register perturbation for a moment before his gaze returned to Mulder.

'I know all I need to know about that, Agent Mulder. If that's all you came to say, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me get some sleep.'

'I don't think we should be discussing this out here. Maybe we could step inside,' Scully prompted.

Skinner sighed, then stood aside. 'Be my guest.'

The lounge was spartan and functional. Few personal touches adorned the fireplace or the walls, save for two photographs – one on top of the television of Skinner shaking hands with the then Director of the FBI, William Webster, taken at what must have been Skinner's graduation from the academy. The other was of his ex-wife, Sharon, taken on their wedding day.

He moved some newspapers from a recliner chair to his coffee table and sat down. Mulder and Scully took the sofa, leaving Krycek to stand.

He appeared to be unsure about his course of action now that he was in front of the man whose life he had held in his hands. Until Mulder prompted him by twisting the chain between the cuffs and enticing a sharp yelp of pain from Krycek as he kicked at the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees.

'What...made you sick…the Nanites in your blood…they're a technology that was designed, manufactured and given to us. It's alien, built by the race who plan to colonize the planet. It was originally devised for medical usage, for use on their own species in the event of any problems resulting from the hybridization process, but its purpose was modified in the light of actions by certain individuals to encapsulate a method of control that was employed on you. I think you know why.'

Skinner nodded, his face as characteristically unreadable and expressionless as always. He blinked, and turned to Mulder.

'This man is insane. I suggest you throw him back under whichever stone you found him and go home.' He moved to stand up, but Scully stopped him.

'Please sir, just give us a few more minutes.'

'You astound and disappoint me with your readiness to accept this bullshit, Agent Scully. I expected more from you. I want you all to leave right now.'

Mulder took out the controller and popped it open for the Assistant Director to see.

'What is that?'

'This, sir, is what controls the Nanites within your bloodstream. At the moment, they're dormant, but with just a few commands issued from this handset, they will very swiftly ensure that you never get the value from your Redskins season ticket.'

The small, yet tellingly dramatic demonstration had a better effect than Mulder had hoped for, but he had no idea just how deep that effect went. Skinner lowered himself back into the chair and stared at the little metal case as if it were the Holy Grail.

'It issues signals that instruct the Nanites to build chemical barriers and blockages within your arteries, veins and lymphatic system. In effect, a cruel and unusual punishment. As you bore witness to, sir.'

He just stared at it, lost in his own thoughts. But he didn't seem surprised. Mulder began to wonder if anything he was saying was actually coming as a revelation to his superior. He wore a look of regret and cold realization; of acceptance rather than shock. Even so, he continued to shake his head.

'We don't have the technology to even attempt anything like that. If you had that from him, then it's probably nothing but an electronic organizer programmed with hieroglyphics.'

'Sir, you know that I have no reason in the world to trust this man. But I have my reasons now for believing what he says. I also remember what happened to you and who put their asses on the line to save you. Those same people are here right now, sir, asking you to trust them.'

Skinner lowered his head and removed his glasses to rub at his eyes. Sighing, he put them back on, his gaze flickering over Mulder's concerned face before settling on Krycek.

'Alright, Krycek. Talk.'

'We don't have the technology at present because it was given to us by the same race that killed everyone at El Rico Air Base. It was part of a complicated arrangement that ultimately would ensure our survival as a species. The faceless aliens were of the same genus as the race the Syndicate tried to deal with. But their goals were different. They didn't want any slave race. They wanted every living thing terminated. They saw no point in all the abductions and tests, and justifiably wanted to stop us trying to develop a vaccine to their viruses. They still plan to colonize, but have demanded the return of all technology, biological samples and files given to us by their predecessors. This is the real world here, Skinner. They're not going to just come and blast everything to ashes and fallout. These people fight quiet wars with silent weapons, and whoever has the strongest science wins. They will release biological contaminants that will destroy us. The apocalypse is unstoppable and it's coming. We had to negotiate to survive. To secure our immunity and the release of all currently held subjects, we have to return to them what they want and agree to subscribe to their methods. To work with them.

'Unfortunately for us, Cancer Man told them that I had stolen the device and that they had no idea where I was. They needed time to find me. They also told them that you were the last remaining test subject in which the Nanites were still operational. In essence, Skinner, they want the device, the Nanites and us. Dead. And they are coming. I'm talking hours. The invasion is imminent and they don't want us getting in the way.'

Skinner's mind must have been spinning, thought Scully. She could hardly believe what Krycek was saying herself. To be told such a story was unimaginable, especially for Skinner whose experience had been mostly limited to reading their reports and hospital visitations after the fact. His struggle to reconcile the things he'd been told was evident, yet still he managed to retain his cold dignity. Nevertheless, beads of perspiration had peppered his brow.

'But I'm not sick anymore.'

'They are dormant. Not dead,' answered Krycek. 'They can be reactivated at any time. As I warned you.'

' _Did_ you steal it, Krycek?'

'No. They gave it to me, but they didn't want the invaders to know that.'

'So why warn me about this? What's in this for you?'

'We have a common enemy. I guess I figured there was safety in numbers.'

Skinner shifted uncomfortably in his chair and strangely, refused to meet Mulder's eyes. Finally, he stood and began to pace back and forth in front of the balcony doors. His color rose, the muscles in his jaw tightened again. He sighed, ran his hands over his head and let them rest entwined behind his neck.

'I'm afraid I don't share your views, Krycek,' said Skinner. 'I don't need you or your help. If you had this information to offer, why not just tell Mulder and Scully? Why involve me at all?'

Krycek grinned. 'I guess it's just because I'm so damned fond of you.'

Mulder chopped him sharply in the ribs, but he bore it well, biting his lip and shuddering as he inhaled.

'Because they are after me, too, okay? I'm alone. I don't have anyone else to turn to,' he said breathily. He closed his eyes, exhaled sharply in pain, and slowly straightened up. 'If I help you, then I help me. And I'm still kind of fond of me.'

'Sir, look, I think the priority right now is to get out of here,' said Mulder.

'Where do you suggest we go? We don't even know who _is_ looking for me, or even if they really are. All we have is Krycek's word for it.'

'Hey, I'm standing right here. What do you want from me? What more will it take, huh? For them to break in here and put a bullet in your brain? They are _coming_! We've already wasted too much time!'

'Alright, Krycek, that's it. I've just about had it up to here with you,' said Mulder, grabbing him by the collar. 'I won't bother to fasten the cuffs when I throw you off the goddamned balcony this time.'

'Mulder, wait!' said Scully tersely. 'Listen.'

He stopped, but kept hold of Krycek's collar. 'I don't hear anything.'

'Quiet,' she whispered, moving to the window overlooking the street and parting the slats of Skinner's blinds. 'Sir, come look at this.'

Skinner joined her and looked out across the starry lights of the city skyline. A black, unmarked helicopter was passing over the downtown buildings. As it drew closer, its searchlight was switched on, a new moon that began to sweep towards them.

Its milky light crawled across the block opposite, and as they continued to watch its course, Scully caught a glimpse of movement below. It was difficult to tell the make and model of the car that had just pulled up, but the four men who got out of it were clear enough. They were entering Skinner's building.

'How did they open the door?' Scully asked.

'I don't know.' He let the blinds fall closed and took Scully's elbow to pull her away from the window. 'Alright, we need to get out. Right now.'

Mulder twisted Krycek's collar. 'If this is a set up, you are a dead man.'

Raw, unadulterated hate burned deep in Krycek's eyes as he shook off Mulder's grip.

'You've made your goddamned point, Mulder,' he seethed, his reserve cracking as Scully feared it would. 'Touch me again, and I'll kill you.'

'Is there any other way out of here, sir?' Scully felt time slipping away from her with increasing velocity, each thumping heartbeat a countdown as the men downstairs drew closer.

'Yes. There's a fire escape at the far end of the hall.'

Skinner grabbed his jacket, wallet, Sig Sauer and spare clip, then followed the others outside. The elevator light signaled that it was on its way up as they followed him to the exit. The bell of the arriving elevator sounded just as the door closed behind them.

Scully could hear Skinner's footfalls echoing behind her in the narrow concrete stairwell, but her heart stopped when she heard the door opening above them. She daren't stop and look up. Whether the danger was real or not, the perceived threat had already set adrenaline coursing through her veins and instinct rather than fear controlled her now.

'They're down here!' echoed a male voice from above them.

Then a multitude of footsteps, like an approaching army. A gunshot, clanging as it ricocheted off the metal handrail just inches from Skinner's hand. The next came even closer, hitting the flight of steps above Scully's head and exploding in a shower of dust and cement chips.

Whether or not Krycek really was telling the truth, the men following them and the bullets they were firing were real enough.

'We'll take my car, sir. It's just down the block,' said Mulder as they reached the exit and the fire alarm began to scream. Mulder stopped to pull a mini-Dumpster across the door to slow down their pursuers.

Skinner threw Krycek in the back of the car while Scully sat in front only seconds ahead of Mulder who had the key in the ignition before he had even closed his door. The engine turned over once. Died. He tried again, tramping down impatiently on the gas. And again. It stubbornly refused to start. The door was starting to shake as the men tried to break through.

'Son of a bitch!' Mulder yelled, slamming his palms against the steering wheel.

The back windshield exploded, sending a barrage of gummy, tempered glass cubes hurtling like missiles through the car. The bullet ripped through the side of the driver's seat, narrowly missing Mulder before slamming into the dashboard. The smell of gunpowder and burnt wood choked the air.

He cursed. Adrenalin dried his throat and slicked his palms making it difficult to get a good grip on the key. The fifth time, the engine fired. Mulder threw the car into drive, stamped on the accelerator and released the hand brake, burning out the back wheels as the car tore away from the sidewalk.

Skinner looked over his shoulder and saw five men racing around the back of his building, guns drawn, heading towards their car. He saw them fire off two more rounds that, incredibly, careened off the roof and side before the car screeched from the curb and started after them.

'They're following us, Mulder,' Skinner said with a forced calmness he didn't feel.

'I know, I know.'

He raced down the street and waited until the last possible second before tapping the brakes and pulling the wheel hard to the left, cutting across two lanes of traffic and just missing the curb as the car tail-ended a dumpster before righting itself and bouncing the wrong way down a one-way street. Checking the mirror, he saw the other car shoot past the opening, then reverse sharply to pull in behind them.

'Shit,' he muttered. 'What's up here, sir?'

Nothing but garbage cans, fire escapes, and brick walls with no visible turn offs lay in front of them for at least another two hundred meters.

'This opens onto another side street. Hang a right from there. I've never approached it from this direction though. You'll have to cross four lanes of traffic, Agent, and they won't be prepared to see you coming out from here. Be careful.'

The exit raced closer and closer, as did the car behind them. Mulder was pretty sure they would have tried to blow their tires out if the alley had been any wider. Orange sparks were thrown off as they scraped and bumped along from one wall to the next like a pinball at speeds pushing sixty.

'They're gaining, Mulder,' said Scully.

'Alright,' he said, 'I hope you're all wearing seat belts.'

He revved up to gain a little extra momentum and silently prayed that whichever god was listening would allow a gap in the traffic that would let them through. It didn't look promising. Cars were streaking masses of color across the intersection.

The car shot out of the alley like a bullet. It took every ounce of strength Mulder possessed to haul the steering wheel around. Brakes squealed. Horns blared. They turned, screaming, veering across the road. It took all Mulder's concentration and physical effort to control the car, trying to stop it fishtailing. Seconds passed like centuries as the whole scene took on a surreal quality and blurred into a smudged mass of colors and alien sounds. Suddenly, out of the fog, one of the smears of color consolidated into a red Ford pick-up truck. It bore down on them relentlessly and even though the driver appeared to be trying to slow down, he had seen them too late. Reacted too slowly.

'Mulder!'

Scully's scream sent a dagger through his heart, but it was out of his hands now. The truck slammed into the wing on Scully's side. The car spun wildly left, doing several complete turns before righting itself. Mulder tramped hard on the accelerator and sped away, leaving the Ford driver dazed, but otherwise unhurt. At least it seemed that way. He had enough strength to get out of his truck and yell a string of expletives after them.

'Jesus, Mulder, what the hell are you trying to do?!' yelled Krycek from the backseat, but his voice was lost among the cacophony of engines and horns and sirens.

The car following them wasn't nearly so lucky. Skinner turned around and pulled away the sagging rubber seal and remnants of the back window to see a transit van broad-siding what he could now see was a dark navy Sedan. It slammed into the car, pushing it eastwards towards them, even after the van's own brakes had stopped itself. Momentum continued on the car as it slid sideways before eventually flipping again and again in a surreal symphony of tortured metal that was audible even from a distance. It eventually came to rest in a manufactured silence of smoke, upside down, crushed into an almost unrecognizable mass of twisted metal and broken glass. No one tried to leave, and petrol started to leak from the ruptured tank. Seconds later, it exploded in a mushroom of thick, acrid black smoke with flashes of dirty orange flames, incinerating whoever was chasing them along with any hopes they may have had of identified them or their motives.

Skinner relaxed back in his seat, satisfied, for now, that the immediate danger seemed to have been brought to an abrupt, if over-violent, end.

'Scully, are you okay?' asked Mulder.

'I...I, er...I'm not sure,' she murmured. She raised a hand to her face and when she pulled it away, her fingertips were slick with blood. A grey haze descended over her field of vision, and an annoying ringing began in her ears. She guessed she might be concussed. She wouldn't really know until she could get out of the damn car and get some air. Each bump in the road activated ever-increasing waves of nausea and her head throbbed with her racing heartbeat. She wanted to close her eyes…just for a few seconds.

Mulder heard Skinner shifting in his seat.

'She's passed out, Mulder. We need to stop.' Skinner lowered her seat back, supporting her lolling head with his hand. 'She's bleeding. We have to stop now.'

Mulder took his eyes from the road for a moment to glance at her. Blood was beginning to cake in a jagged line across the bridge of her nose. More blood formed the centre of a starflower crack in the window glass. Suddenly, the car was airless.

'Dana? Open your eyes. Dana!'

She didn't move. Even though Mulder's heart continued to beat in his throat, even thought concern for her was choking him, he couldn't stop, not just yet. All their lives may be in danger if he did. He glanced again in the mirror. They were now well out of sight of the mini war zone they had created, but no doubt even as they spoke, witnesses were giving descriptions of their car to the police. If they were really lucky, maybe they had been caught on a security monitor somewhere. He knew he could explain, but he doubted he had the time to spare and could ill afford the attention. One threat may have been eliminated for now, but he knew that these people rarely gave up so easily. And where had that chopper gone?

'Sir, have you seen the helicopter since we left your apartment?'

'No,' Skinner bristled. 'What the hell does that matter now? You need to stop!'

They were approaching the city limits, and signs for the I66 and Washington were beginning to spring up regularly along the road. Mulder pulled off Main and headed into a residential area where he hoped there might be less chance of being seen at this time of night. The street was wide and tree lined, most of the lights were out in the houses, obscuring a clear view of their car from ground level as well as from above, just in case the helicopter was still circling. He pulled up outside an empty stucco and brick dwelling with a 'For Lease' sign posted outside. It had been so for a while. The place looked pretty run-down with peeling paint, overgrown bushes, shrubs and unkempt topiary displays that had long since lost any resemblance to anything of this earth.

He turned to his partner. A dark swelling that he hoped was just a bruise began to materialize along her cheekbone and eye socket. The bleeding was slowing now, coming from a deep cut just above her eye.

'Dana?' He unclipped his seatbelt and moved closer, stroking her hair back away from the cut. 'Dana, can you hear me?'

She groaned and pushed his hand away. Her eyelids twitched slightly then opened. Her brow creased as her eyes tried to focus. 'Mulder?'

'Yeah,' he smiled, caressing her cheek. 'Are you okay?'

'I...I think…God, my head hurts. What happened?'

'Mulder was a goddamned idiot. As usual. And, as usual, someone got hurt.'

'Just shut up, Krycek. Unless you want to move one step closer to a ruptured spleen,' Skinner told him.

Krycek rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the dilapidated house instead.

'I need to get out of this car…get some air…I feel sick,' she said.

'We'll stop somewhere soon. As soon as it's safe. Are you going to be okay for a little while?' asked Mulder.

'Suppose I'll have to be.' She was beginning to look more like herself, her color had returned and her eyes were clearing.

'You stil nauseous?'

'I'll…be okay. I just want to get out of here.''

'Great. Scully's fine, and I'm fine too, by the way, other than whiplash which I'm sure you're heartbroken about. Could we get a move on and decide what we're supposed to do now?' said Krycek. 'Because these damn cuffs are starting to send my fingers to sleep.'

'Look on the bright side,' said Mulder, 'at least you only have the five to worry about now.'

'For Christ's sake,' Scully muttered.

'Well, my apartment certainly isn't safe anymore, thanks to you, so maybe you ought to suggest something,' said Skinner.

'Yeah, I have a suggestion. How about you all go fuck yourselves.'

'There's a biotechnology lab in Richmond,' Scully suggested, before anyone exploded again. 'They're doing extensive research into biomechanical prosthetics, artificial organ replacements and so on. I think they are most likely the best equipped to analyze the type of technology that we're talking about.'

'How can you be so sure they will help?' asked Skinner.

'I know one of the senior researchers there. He taught a semester when I was in med school. He's a good man. Trustworthy.'

'Okay. Then I guess we're heading for Virginia. We can't take this car though. It's damaged and we can do without getting pulled over. The labs won't even be open until Monday. Neither will car rental, and we should try and get some rest. I suggest we look for a motel,' said Mulder.

'Sounds reasonable enough,' said Skinner.

'Okay. I know a place,' Mulder replied as he pulled off and headed towards the I95 taking them south into Virginia.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

 **SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29** **th** **1999**

 **1.49am**

The motel was on a lonely stretch of highway just outside Fredericksburg. The car lot was surprisingly full, but then it was the weekend, and half the state was probably headed down to Colonial Williamsburg while the weather still held out, although why everyone would choose a place like this to stay constituted a file in his basement office by itself. Mulder parked at the back of the lot, deep in the shadows cast by overhanging willows and rhododendrons where the damage to the car's side wouldn't be noticed.

No-one was around. He could hear the rise and fall of car engines on the Interstate beyond, but no-one appeared to have followed them.

'How are we going to handle this?' asked Mulder. 'Do you want me to stay with Mr. Personality here, sir, or – '

'No,' Skinner replied. 'I'm not letting this asshole out of my sight.'

He got out of the car, opened Krycek's door, and hauled him out. He kept hold of Krycek's jacket while Mulder gave him the key to the cuffs.

'Don't take any chances with him, sir.'

'I think I'm capable of taking care of myself without your advice, Agent Mulder.'

Scully arched an eyebrow as she watched Skinner practically drag Krycek towards the lobby.

'He never fails to pull out all the stops when it comes to gratitude, does he?'

'He just doesn't like to show it. Wouldn't fit with his image.'

'Well, a " _thank you_ ", or " _good job_ ", or " _sorry you almost got your asses fired for me_ " might be a start.'

Mulder chuckled. 'I think it'll be a cold, cold day in hell before that happens.'

Even though it was advertised as a 24-hour check-in, the receptionist sitting behind the chest-high desk didn't look pleased to see them. She sighed as she flipped her trash novel upside down on the desk and gave them a half-hearted smile.

'Help you?'

Skinner booked in Krycek and himself under the same pseudo-name of Simms. The receptionist had a vague smile on her face as she processed them, and it made Mulder wonder just what homophobic vitriol was going through her mind. Though it did amuse him in a strange way. The idea of Skinner and Krycek staying within the same four walls without killing each other was too much, let alone the thought of them being any more intimately involved, but he supposed she wasn't to know the truth about their…relationship. She gave them room 29 on the second floor.

'You know where I am if you need me. Call me with your room numbers when you're settled. Otherwise, I'll see you here at around nine tomorrow,' said Skinner.

'Sure. Goodnight, sir.'

Skinner kept a hand on Krycek's shoulder as the doors to the elevator closed.

Scully caught the look on Mulder's face. 'Don't start. Just check us in already. My head is killing me and I'd really like a hot bath.'

'Are you still mad at me or something?'

'What?'

'Well, I just want to know if we'll be booking one room or two.'

She laughed. 'With Skinner here? You have to be kidding.'

'He won't know,' he protested, brushing the back of his fingers along her cheek. 'Come on, Dana. Don't be like this.'

'Be like what?'

He looked away from her and blew out a breath. 'I had no choice here, okay? Don't act as if this is some selfish little errand I'm going on. We all had better plans this weekend.'

She stared at him. He looked down and realized that his hand was clamped around her wrist. 'You're hurting me, Mulder.'

'I'm…sorry.'

'You don't even know what you're apologizing for, do you?'

'Why are you so determined to start a fight here, Dana? I'm trying to - '

'It's always about you, isn't it?' she snapped, then regretted it when she saw the injured look in his eyes. 'Look, I've been in a car wreck, been shot at, and in general had what I would classify as a pretty shitty week, and the last thing I need right now is to end it fighting with you. Let's just get some rest, okay? We'll talk about this tomorrow.'

'See, now that's what worries me. What more is there to talk about beyond what we said earlier?'

'Are you paying for this room, or am I?' She approached the counter and booked them in. They had a room on the first floor, on the opposite side of the building to Skinner and Krycek.

Scully walked on ahead and was already in the bathroom with the door firmly locked by the time Mulder had caught up to her. He lay down on the bed, switched on the TV, and stared at it without seeing or hearing anything while he waited for her.

When she emerged almost an hour later, she was wearing one of the motel's white toweling robes and running a comb through her damp hair. The hot water had brought out the bruising on her cheek, but at least the cut looked better. It couldn't have been as deep as he first feared.

'Are you okay?'

Scully went to the mirror above the dressing table and looked at the purple mass extending down her cheekbone and across her eye socket. 'Yeah. I think I'm going to need a little more make-up tomorrow though.'

'You could always tell people you walked into the door.'

She frowned as she met his gaze in the reflection. 'Domestic violence isn't a source of humor. I'm not in the mood, Mulder.'

'Okay, that's it. You want to talk? Let's talk.' He reached for the remote and flicked off the TV. 'Because I've had just about enough of the cold shoulder. What's wrong?'

'I'm in pain, Mulder. I'm tired, and I don't want to have this conversation right now.'

'And I'm sorry for what happened, but it wasn't my fault. I was trying to keep us all safe. Please don't take this out on me.'

'I know it wasn't, Mulder, and I'm not blaming you, I'm just…I'm irritable and tired, ok? It's past two in the morning, for God's sake.'

'There's more to this than just the accident. I know you, Dana. If you have something to say, then say it.'

She pulled out the dressing table chair and sat down. 'Alright. If you're determined to do this now. You know what's wrong, Mulder. How many times have we had this conversation over the past few months? I feel as though I always come second with you – to your work, your research, your family, everything. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I thought we were in a relationship, and I sometimes wonder if you have any concept of what that means. You don't talk to me, you keep so many things from me and I feel like there's a whole part of your life that you keep guarded and won't let me into. It…hurts.'

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. 'What the hell is that - '

'You want a list? Okay. Tonight, for a start. You should have just thrown that rat bastard out on his ass, but you didn't. You didn't even _want_ to listen to me. You didn't care what I had to say. You'd already made up your mind. We still don't know that he didn't stage that whole thing at Skinner's apartment. He's a liar and a manipulator, and it's not beyond his capabilities. But the problem is that you _want_ to believe him, and so I get pushed aside. Then, to vent your frustrations, you start pounding on a restrained man like a pathetic playground bully, and try to put the blame for it on me.'

'I wasn't pushing you away, Dana, I just wanted to know what he had to say. Am I supposed to just ignore it when Skinner's life is threatened because of us?'

'Mulder, it's not just that. It's not just tonight. You always do this. I guess I've been used to it before, when you disappeared to Arecibo, Tunguska, Alaska, God knows where else without telling me. But I thought things would be different now. They're not. I feel like it's a chore for you whenever I want to spend time with you. You're always so distracted…like I'm stopping you from doing something else. You've given me the brush off eighteen times since London. Yes, I counted. Because I feel like I deserve more than this. I _need_ more. I want to know where you think this is going. I want a life away from all this. I want to be part of _your_ life. But you won't let me in. I don't even know who you are outside of work anymore. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really did.'

'That's unfair, Dana. Where I go, the people I see – they're nothing to do with work. It's part of private research for my papers, the articles I write for magazines, I occasionally help out Frohike and the guys, and I know you're not interested in any of that shit. It's why I'm good at what I do. Background. That's all this job is. I didn't chew you out for wanting to go away to cover Doctor Klein's classes, did I? We can't be in each other's pockets 24/7.'

'Oh. So you're on overload with me, is that it?'

'You're twisting my words. All I need is a little space to do the things that I know you're not interested in. I can't change who I am, Dana. I'm trying to be fair to you and to me.'

'If it was just that, maybe I could understand. But not returning my calls? I missed you, Mulder. I just wanted to talk. That was all. I couldn't even get your cell. I don't even know where you _are_ most of the time. If you refuse to talk to me, to share things with me, then how is this relationship ever going to survive? All we have right now is a convenience, something to fall back on when your depression gets too much or you're in need of company. I don't understand how you can be so...so loving, so tender with me, yet show no commitment beyond the couple of hours we spend together. I guess I'm just not sure if this is really what you want anymore, because it never used to be like this between us. I'm…I'm not even sure it's what I want,' she sighed. 'I just know that I'm tired of feeling like this, Mulder and I just don't know what else to do.'

'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I…I thought you understood. I never meant to hurt you. Jesus, I would never knowingly hurt you, Dana.'

'I know that. All I'm asking of you is to step away and re-evaluate what it is that you're still trying to find. And what you really want.'

'My sister, Dana,' he said, close to tears. 'I want justice for her. For my lost years. For what they did to _you_. That's all I've ever wanted.' He took her hands in his and held them to his face, closing his eyes as her fingers touched his cheek. 'More than ever, I want this to end. I want to put the past behind me. You have to believe that I want us to work. I love you.'

'You know I love you too, Fox, but love has never been a problem for us. We've passed the stage where words can mend the fundamental difficulties in this relationship. This…depression; this black anger and hatred I've seen in you today is like a poison that pervades your whole system and you don't see it, but it's killing you. It's killing _me._ It frightens me. I want you to make a better life for yourself. _For us_. A better future than the one they would create for you.'

He kept her gaze for as long as he felt able, but soon the power and truth of what she had said burned so fiercely in his eyes that he had to close them. He knew that it was way past the time when he should have accepted that his sister was forever lost to him and moved on. He couldn't spend any more time chasing ghosts on a futile quest for justice that could never be won as long as men like Spender existed.

And maybe if the threat of death wasn't hanging over Skinner he would have found it easy right then, in that moment, to walk away from it all. But he owed Skinner for all the times he had placed himself in jeopardy for them, for all the risks he had taken to cover for them, and now, he owed him a cure for the illness that he had brought on.

'You're a good man, Mulder,' she continued, as though aware of his thoughts. 'I understand the loyalty you feel toward Skinner. I feel it too. We'll see this through. But when it's over, I really think we should both take some time to consider what it is we still want from each other. Love shouldn't be making us both this unhappy.'

'You…you want us to separate?'

'I…I don't know,' she sighed. 'I'm sorry. I just don't know.'


End file.
